Syringe diaphragm with ballooning dome

ABSTRACT

The filler opening of a hypodermic syringe barrel is closed by a diaphragm clamped to the mouth of the barrel by a closure cap carrying a hypodermic needle pointed at both ends with one end exterior and the opposite end interior of the closure cap and the shape and dimensions of the diaphragm causing the ready ballooning of the diaphragm by pressure in the barrel into the closure cap to be punctured by the hypodermic needle. The diaphragm comprises an annular flange clamped to the mouth of the barrel, a dome shaped portion and an annular wall connecting the flange and the dome shaped portion with the dome shaped portion extending in the closure cap out of contact with the closure cap and the interior point of the hypodermic needle. The end of the barrel opposite the filler opening is closed by a piston adapted to be pushed into the barrel to create internal pressure to balloon the dome shaped portion and annular wall and cause piercing of the dome shaped portion by the interior point of the needle.

United States Patent [1 1 Shields Oct. 30, 1973 SYRINGE DIAPHRAGM WITHBALLOONING DOME [76] Inventor: Walter A. Shields, 38-09 24th St.,

Jamaica, N.Y. lllOl [22] Filed: Mar. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 237,962

[52] US. Cl. 128/218 NV, 215/40, 128/272 [51] Int. Cl. A61m 5/28, A6lj1/06 [58] Field of Search 128/215, 216, 218 R,

128/218 NV, 218 M, 218 D, 218 DA, 219, 220, 221, 272, 252; 215/37, 38,40, 41;

206/DIG. 25

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,208 6/1961 Ransom128/252 X 3,387,609 6/1968 Shields 128/218 NV Primary Examiner-RichardA. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. C. McGowan AttameyJohn A. Seifert [5 7ABSTRACT The filler opening of a hypodermic syringe barrel is closed bya diaphragm clamped to the mouth of the barrel by a closure cap carryinga hypodermic needle pointed at both ends with one end exterior and theopposite end interior of the closure cap and the shape and dimensions ofthe diaphragm causing the ready ballooning of the diaphragm by pressurein the barrel into the closure cap to be punctured by the hypodermicneedle. The diaphragm comprises an annular flange clamped to the mouthof the barrel, a dome shaped portion and an annular wall connecting theflange and the dome shaped portion with the dome shaped portionextending in the closure cap out of contact with the closure cap and theinterior point of the hypodermic needle. The end of the barrel oppositethe filler opening is closed by a piston adapted to be pushed into thebarrel to create internal pressure to balloon the dome shaped portionand annular wall and cause piercing of the dome shaped portion by theinterior point of the needle.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Oct. 30, 1973 United States Patent 1 ShieldsPATENTED 0m 3 0 I975 1 more readily flexed into piercing engagement withthe hypodermic needle.

The-invention comprises a diaphragm having a rigid peripheral flangeadapted to be clamped between the lip of a beaded mouth of a hypodermicsyringe barrel and an annular shoulder of a crown of a closure capcarrying a double pointed hypodermic needle. The center portion of thediaphragm is of dome shape and connected to the flange by an annularportion extending in a sinuous path and of the same thickness as thecenter portion and approximately one-third the thickness of the flange.The center and connecting portions of the diaphragm are ballooned intothe crown of the closure cap by pressure in the hypodermic syringebarrel to be pierced by the inner point of the hypodermic needle.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a hypodermic syringe showing the diaphragmin normal sealing position;

FIG 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the filler openingsealed by the present diaphragm;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the diaphragm ballooning intopiercing engagement with the inner point of the hypodermic needle; I

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the diaphragm;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the diaphragm; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the closure cap, diaphragm and the filleropening of the hypodermic syringe barrel.

The embodiment of the invention is shown in use with a hypodermicsyringe comprising a barrel 7 having a uniform open end 8, FIG. 1,closed by a piston 9 adapted to be pushed into the barrel 7 by a plunger10 removably connected to the piston 9 by a stud secured in the piston 9and having a projecting end portion screw-threaded in the plunger 10, asindicated at 11.

The barrel 7 is filled with a liquid medicament 12 when the piston 9 isadjacent to the open end 8 and the plunger 10 is not attached to thepiston 9. The medicament 12 is filled into the barrel 7 through a filleropening 13 in a neck 14 having a beaded mouth 15 arranged with a flatlip 16.

After filling the barrel 7' with a desired amount of liquid medicament12, the filler opening is sealed by'a diaphragm constituting theembodiment of the invention and comprising an annular flange 17 and domeshaped center portion 18 connected to the flange 17 by an annular wallhaving a section 19 extending laterally from the inner circumference ofthe flange l7 and into a vertical section 20 spaced from and parallel tothe flange l7 and the dome shaped center portion 18. The verticalsection 20 terminates in a horizontal section 21 connected to the bottomof the dome shaped center portion 18 and extended in a plane parallel toand spaced above the plane of the vial lip 16 and intermediate the topand bottom of the flange 17, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The flange 17 is clamped to the barrel lip 16 with the horizontalsection 21 and the dome shaped center portion 18 spaced above the lip 16and the filler opening 13. This isaccomplished by a closure cap 22having a skirt 23 extended longitudinally of the mouth 15 and crimpedunder the bead of said mouth 15, as at 24, with an interior annularshoulder 25 abutting the top of the flange 17. The crown of the closurecap 22 is provided with a tubular protuberance 26 having secured thereina hypodermic needle 27 pointed at both ends with the portion of theneedle projecting exteriorly from the protuberance 26 being enclosed bya sheath 28 mounted on the protuberance 26, as shown in FIG. 1.

When the syringe is used, the plunger 10 is attached to the piston 9 andthe sheath 28 is removed from the protuberance 26 and the needle 27, andthe air is expelled from the needle 27 by slightly pushing the plunger10 toward the barrel 7, which will create internal pressure in thebarrel causing the connecting wall sections 19-21 and the dome shapedcenter portion 18 to balloon ouwardly into the crown of the closure cap22 and forcefully contacting the dome shaped center portion 18 with theinner point of the needle 27 so that said inner point will puncturecenter portion 18. Then the outer point of the needle 27 is insertedunder the skin of the patient and the piston 11 is pushed further intothe barrel 7 by the plunger 10 to a desired distance depending on theprescribed dosage of medicament 12 to be administered to the patientthrough the punctured diaphragm and the needle. To facilitate theballooning of the connecting wall sections 19 2l and the center portion18, the outer or upper face of the lateral section 19 is bevelled orslopes downwardly to the vertical section 20, as shown at 29, so thatthe lateralsection 19 will flow along the crown of the closure cap 22,as shown in FIG. 3.

To improve the seal between the barrel lip 16, the diaphragm 17-21 andthe closure cap 22, the shoulder 25 of the closure cap 22 is providedwith a bevelled annular projection 30 to impinge the juncture betweenthe flange 17 and the bevelled face 29, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A hypodermic syringe including a barrel having a filler opening atone end arranged with a beaded mouth having a lip, a piston closing theopposite end -of the barrel, a diaphragm closing said filler opening andcomprising an annular flange engaging said lip, a dome shaped portion,and an annular wall connecting the flange and the dome shaped portion, aclosure cap having a depending skirt crimped to the beaded mouth and acrown having an integral annular shoulder abutting the flange againstthe lip, and a hypodermic needle secured in the crown of he closure capin vertical alignment with the dome shaped portion and-havingtheopposite ends pointed and extended exteriorly and interiorly of saidcrown the closed end of said dome shaped portion of the diaphragmextending into said crown out of contact with the interior point of theneedle and the crown of the closure cap whereby slight piston movementwill create internal pressure in the barrel causing the dome portion toballoon into the crown so thatthe inner point of the needle willpuncture the dome portion.

2. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annularconnecting wall of the diaphragm comprises a vertical section connectedto the flange and a horizontal section connected to the dome shapedportion.

3. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the horizontalsection extends in a horizontal plane intermediate the top and bottomsurfaces of the flange.

4. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the horizontalsection of the annular connecting wall extends in a plane above theplane of the lip.

5. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annularconnecting wall of the diaphragm forms with the flange an annular groovein the lower face of the diaphragm and said annular connecting wall ofthe diaphragm forms with the dome shaped portion into the crown of theclosure cap.

1. A hypodermic syringe including a barrel having a filler opening atone end arranged with a beaded mouth having a lip, a piston closing theopposite end of the barrel, a diaphragm closing said filler opening andcomprising an annular flange engaging said lip, a dome shaped portion,and an annular wall connecting the flange and the dome shaped portion, aclosure cap having a depending skirt crimped to the beaded mouth and acrown having an integral annular shoulder abutting the flange againstthe lip, and a hypodermic needle secured in the crown of the closure capin vertical alignment with the dome shaped portion and having theopposite ends pointed and extended exteriorly and interiorly of saidcrown the closed end of said dome shaped portion of the diaphragmextending into said crown out of contact with the interior point of theneedle and the crown of the closure cap whereby slight piston movementwill create internal pressure in the barrel causing the dome portion toballoon into the crown so that the inner point of the needle willpuncture the dome portion.
 2. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim1, wherein the annular connecting wall of the diaphragm comprises avertical section connected to the flange and a horizontal sectionconnected to the dome shaped portion.
 3. A hypodermic syringe as claimedin claim 2, wherein the horizontal section extends in a horizontal planeintermediate the top and bottom surfaces of the flange.
 4. A hypodermicsyringe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the horizontal section of theannular connecting wall extends in a plane above the plane of the lip.5. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annularconnecting wall of the diaphragm forms with the flange an annular groovein the lower face of the diaphragm and said annular connecting wall ofthe diaphragm forms with the dome shaped portion an annular groove inthe upper face of the diaphragm.
 6. A hypodermic syringe as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the thickness of the dome shaped portion and of theannular connecting wall is approximately one-third the thickness of theflange of the diaphragm.
 7. A hypodermic syringe as claimed in claim 2,wherein the vertical section of the annular connecting wall is connectedto the flange by an annular section extending laterally from the flangeand provided with an upper bevelled face to facilitate ballooning thedome shaped portion and the annular connecting wall into the crown ofthe closure cap.